Old Holland Kolinsky Sable Brushes

Old Holland has been synonymous with quality oil colors for more than 300 years. They took their time developing a line of brushes worthy of their oils and really got it right!

Using a special blend of the finest quality Russian Kolinsky sable, the head (shape) of each brush is handcrafted by experienced, world-class brushmakers to the exact requirements of master artists. Each brush is put through extensive trials over many months. Heads are then firmly attached to seamless polished nickel-plated ferrules.

Experience the firm feel of very full Kolinsky hair brushes, the superb shaping of the heads, which come to an excellent edge and/or point, and the luxurious softness of only the finest hair.

Brush sizes — The length and width of a brush of a given shape and size may vary by manufacturer as brush sizes are not standardized. Since fine art brushes are handmade, expect some variation even among brushes from within a single brush line.

I have gone through a LOT of brushes because I tend to buy the "cheaper but good quality" brushes. I finally forked the money out for three of these brushes to take them for a spin. I have used them several times so far and am planning to order more. They hold enough paint work with and are suprisingly easy to clean...you just cant beat a good quality brush for feel and performance. You get what you pay for I guess.

I am painting shorebirds. They require details in the feathers. The #2 is best for the small details. The #6 is best for larger feathers. These brushes have fine points and hold more paint than synthetics. I just don't have to go back to my pallet and reload my brushes as often so that the consistency of the colr is higher.

I LOVE holland brushes, they are the best I've worked with for oil paints. The line quality is amazing. I use to buy cheaper brushes because I didn't want to invest in more expensive ones, thinking that there couldn't be that much of a difference. The problem was all of those brushes just weren't producing a line quality I liked, and felt unsatisfied. I decided to take a risk and buy a Holland brush. The difference in quality is amazing! It just shows that in this case you really do get what you pay for. :)

In some of my lessons I was told I should get some mid sized red sables for detailed work. I picked up some of the Old Holland brights in the 2 to 8 range, even though the cost was a bit more than some other brands. They are really smooth, keep their shape, hold lots of paint and are just an absolute joy to paint with compared to bristles in the same size range. Since my livelihood is engineering and not painting, I'm not sure I would be able to justify some of the larger ones for what I do, but I am absolutely hooked on these red sables for smaller work. They cost a bit more, but I would buy them again given the choice.